A Breath of Fresh Air

After a long hiatus, I am back to the keyboard. Sorry if you missed me :( I'm going to jump around on a few topics. First thing's first!

Alamo Bowl: MSU vs. Texas Tech
First note: This is the highest rated bowl ESPN has ever had. As in, more people watched this game than any other bowl game broadcast in ESPN's history. The BCS games have traditionally been on Fox and ABC, but ESPN usually gets most of the non-BCS games. The only games that had higher ratings this year was all five BCS games, and the Capital One Bowl (more on that later.)
Second Note: MSU played one hell of a game until the 4th quarter. By no means did Mike Leach getting canned level the playing field, per say. It was common knowledge that if Texas Tech went on the field and ran the same plays they ran all year, they'd destroy the Spartan D. To an extent, that happened, but the MSU Offense clicked during the game. Kirk Cousins showed why he has a lot of growing up to do, throwing two interceptions that should have been sacks. However, Keshawn Martin, the TE Corps, and most of all EDWIN BAKER showed up. The Offense got stagnant in the 4th quarter, and TT rallied. Was the game promising? yes. Was it winable? yes.
Third Note: It is important to note that this game (and season) showed that MSU has a ways to go before the 9-4 season achieved last season is the standard, not the exception. That being said, one can assume that moral victories aren't enough to keep the big wigs happy (ask John L. Smith). The team has promise, but isn't great. But don't start calling for people's heads just yet. While all of the staff have proven their worth before, remember that this is the hardest competition they've faced in their lives as well, at their respective positions.

The new Leader of the FIRE UP CHIPS bandwagon:
Dan Enos. It was reported late last night by the state news that the Spartan RB coach, Dan Enos, is the new head coach at Central Michigan University. Their old coach took the job at Cincinnati after Brian Kelly left for South Bend. I don't think anyone believes that Enos will be a bad coach at CMU, this is a major blow for the Spartans. All of the recruiting success of the Dantonio era can be traced to Coach Enos. The kids he has recruited include DE Will Gholston (get used to hearing his name), QB Joe Boisture and Kirk Cousins, RB Edwin Baker and Larry Caper, WR Keshawn Martin, and TE Dion Sims. That's a lot of big names that all had big name schools (Michigan, Notre Dame, to name a few) gunning for them. It will not be easy to bring in the same caliber recruits that Enos has brought the last few seasons.
Enos was a QB for MSU back in the 80's (I believe). Personally, the guy has a tremendous respect for the game and I would love to see him be the coach of MSU when Dantonio is done. MSU and CMU play numerous times in the coming years, so it'll be fun to watch the two coaches battle!

Oh Wait, its Basketball Season?
March Madness in less than 3 months. Take that in for a second. MSU was a lot of people's picks to take the Big Ten this season. After watching the non conference action, the Big Ten is arguably the deepest conference in the country. Here's the teams I think will make the tourney come March: MSU, Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin. Northwestern may even be added to that list. NU and Michigan aren't bad, but it's an uphill climb from here. The biggest problem for the Spartans is getting production down low. Chris Allen is getting better with his game, Durrell Summers has stepped up, but the biggest story is Draymond Green. It's hard to think that the coaches though he would be too fat to start playing last season. In the Iowa game, he played for 19 minutes, scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Double-Double in half a game.
The team is well-rounded except down low. Delvon Roe is progressing, but still isn't as assertive as he needs to be. Add in the inexperience of freshmen Derrick Nix and Garrett Sherman with Herzog's slow development, and it could be a problem all year. The Spartan's are definitely a threat in the Big Ten, but many have hopes of another Final Four run this year. The FF is close to home, in Indianapolis, so any Big Ten team would love to play there. The way MSU is playing right now, I see them as an Elite 8 team. That may change after I see them play Purdue, Illinois, and Ohio State, however.

That's all for now! I just upgraded to a new computer (finally) so I think I'll post some computer tips in the next post. Good luck with the start of classes, everyone!